Oct 22, 2018

Ontario apple growers featured in documentary series

The Ardiel family of Apple Springs Orchards in Clarksburg, Ontario, will be one of the three farms featured on Real Farm Lives, a documentary web series that aims to challenge misperceptions Canadians have about agriculture.

In a recent survey from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, 93 per cent of Canadians said they know little-to-nothing about farming. The series will give Canadians an entertaining and informative glimpse into the daily lives of real farm families from Ontario and Saskatchewan as they work to get food from their farms to our forks.

The families cast in Real Farm Lives are meant to personify twenty-first century farming. Their actions, conversations, and emotions in the series are as honest and authentic as their labor.

In the Ardiel family, father-son duo Shane and Kyle Ardiel work to stay ahead of the curve by anticipating consumer preferences for apple varieties, incorporating new machine technologies, and experimenting with different trellis systems for their trees.

“Growing apples is an art and a science, and we take our jobs very seriously,” Kyle Ardiel of Apple Spring Orchards said in a press release promoting the series. “We love what we do and hope viewers walk away from Real Farm Lives with a greater appreciation of modern farming.”

The six episodes, released weekly throughout October and November on realfarmlives.ca, will help Canadians better understand the complexities of modern farming in the face of climate change, population growth and evolving consumption habits.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there about food production and farming techniques, which can cause fear and anxiety,” said Pierre Petelle, president and CEO of CropLife Canada, the association that produced the series. “By connecting Canadians with real farmers who sustainably grow our safe, high-quality food, we hope viewers will learn about the obstacles farmers have to tackle and the tools they need to do their jobs well.”

The series delves into the families’ trials and tribulations, including how weather, insects, weeds and diseases have the potential to impact their crops and livelihoods. With each episode addressing a different aspect of harvest preparations, viewers discover the role plant science plays in protecting the farmers’ crops and the food supply. But it’s not all work and no play – the episodes also encompass the fun moments and family dynamics that happen in an ordinary day.

For more information on Real Farm Lives and to watch all six episodes, visit www.realfarmlives.ca.

Top photo: The Ardiel family of Apple Springs Orchards in Clarksburg, ON. (CNW Group/CropLife Canada)